Sunday, September 09, 2012

No One Is Responsible for Murdering Munir and Thousands Others in Indonesia

Munir, one of the most prominent human rights activists in Indonesia (http://mugiyanto.blogspot.com/2004/11/munir-obituary.html ) was poisoned and died of it on board of Garuda Indonesian, the official Indonesian Airline when he was traveling from Jakarta to Amsterdam on September, 2004. Today, 8 years after his murder, all the mastermind escaped justice, but Polycarpus, a non flying pilot, who was sentenced 20 years in prison.

But who and what is the motive of Polycarpus for killing Munir in such a sadistic way? Isn't it true that the Fact Finding Team formed by President Yudhoyono found many evidences that linked Deputy V on Mobilization and Propaganda of the notorious State Intelligent Body (BIN) with the murder?

This is the irony if not tragedy of Indonesia, the third largest democracy, and the largest Moslem country as the westerns like to name my country.

Let alone those who killed Munir, a single person, a prominent, consistent, dedicated and courageous human rights and democracy defender. Even those who killed hundreds thousands if not millions of people in 1965-1966, and thousands others in Aceh, Papua, Timor and other parts of Indonesia were never brought to justice.

I meet many people from different countries, frequently. Many of them do not agree with the way the western officials see and praise Indonesian democracy and human rights situation. And when some of them do so, I feel so embarrassed and it turn my face red.

The absence of justice and accountability gives a message that "in Indonesia, killing hundreds of thousands of innocence is not a crime". We can see this in the recently launched documentary file "The Act of Killing" of Joshua Oppenheim (www.theactofkilling.com)

"In Indonesia, abducting pro democracy activists and making them disappeared is not a crime" (http://mugiyanto.blogspot.com/2010/08/families-of-missing-wait-for-president.html)

"In Indonesia, poisoning prominent human rights activists like Munir is not a crime" (http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/questions-remain-on-munir-8-years-on/542865)

In my country, Indonesia, there have been so many cases of gross human rights violation, which are serious crimes under international law, no single responsible person had been held accountable. There are so many cases with hundreds thousands if not millions of victims, but there is no perpetrator. So who actually committed the crimes?

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